Lesson #: 2 Title of lesson: Cloudy with a Chance of…
Description of lesson: We are looking at weather and climate in this lesson. Our goal is to learn to rely on our surroundings to know what kind of weather to expect, to recognize our climate and to learn about other types of weather.
Assignment: · Brainstorm ideas we have about “weather” and “climate” · Check out our school library for books relating to our brainstorm · Visit some cool weather sites! · Revisit our class blog, because this will be part of our homework
Homework: · Pay attention to what you see the weather doing on the way home, playing after school, etc. · Log onto our class blog and write at least 5 sentences about what you noticed in today’s weather and what you thought the most interesting thing you learned about weather today was! · Leave at least one, one sentence comment on a friend’s post!
Resources/materials needed: · Library books (school library) · Internet o Blogspot.com (our class blog) · Internet o Some fun learning sites… o urbanext.illinois.edu/treehouse/ o weatherwizkids.com o theweatherchannelkids.com o scholastic.com/kids/weather
Technology reflection: The use of technology in this lesson really helped the students to experience things firsthand that they would otherwise not have had an opportunity for. While they can read about and even experience the weather outside, the websites we looked at offered them the chance to see what weather they don’t see can do, and why. The scholastic.com website allowed the students to “make their own” weather. It showed them what they were changing, as far as temperature and humidity. Then there was an animated showing of what type of weather they had created based on their adjustments with a description of what was happening. Some of the other websites showed actual footage of severe weather. Others, particularly weatherwizkids.com, provided explanations of all aspects of weather, including all of the “what’s, why’s and how’s” about whatever they were researching. Although the read information could be found in books, it was the navigation process and the fact that the exact same information would not be found elsewhere that gives importance to the technological aspect. However, without the technology we integrated into this lesson, the students were provided diverse opportunities which they otherwise could not have had. This also helped interactive learners, as well as those who don’t learn as well by simply listening or reading to gain a better understanding of weather and climate. The last bit of technology I would like to integrate would be the blog. This would connect the students to each other even when out of class.
Evaluation: I am concerned that I should put more into this lesson. At first I had a lot more involved in the lesson, but realized that I was making a lesson, not an entire day’s plan. I would be able to continue on, or add to a lesson the next day, right? I think it would be fun and beneficial to their comprehension to have the students give a presentation about weather. They could work in groups, or individually to create a project and share it with the class perhaps. However, I still worry that maybe they would not be getting enough out of this lesson? Granted, it is more of an introductory lesson, if that exists, and I think that it gave them a pretty solid foundation in regards to weather and climate. Finally, I worry about the blog. I think it is a great way to integrate technology. Initially, I thought we could make our own weather journals, but then I remembered the blogs, and thought why not? Still, would this work? So long as we went over it in class and were already familiarized with it, and all the students had access to internet at home, I think it would be fine.
Title of lesson: Cloudy with a Chance of…
Description of lesson:
We are looking at weather and climate in this lesson. Our goal is to learn to rely on our surroundings to know what kind of weather to expect, to recognize our climate and to learn about other types of weather.
Assignment:
· Brainstorm ideas we have about “weather” and “climate”
· Check out our school library for books relating to our brainstorm
· Visit some cool weather sites!
· Revisit our class blog, because this will be part of our homework
Homework:
· Pay attention to what you see the weather doing on the way home, playing after school, etc.
· Log onto our class blog and write at least 5 sentences about what you noticed in today’s weather and what you thought the most interesting thing you learned about weather today was!
· Leave at least one, one sentence comment on a friend’s post!
Resources/materials needed:
· Library books (school library)
· Internet
o Blogspot.com (our class blog)
· Internet
o Some fun learning sites…
o urbanext.illinois.edu/treehouse/
o weatherwizkids.com
o theweatherchannelkids.com
o scholastic.com/kids/weather
Technology reflection:
The use of technology in this lesson really helped the students to experience things firsthand that they would otherwise not have had an opportunity for. While they can read about and even experience the weather outside,
the websites we looked at offered them the chance to see what weather they don’t see can do, and why.
The scholastic.com website allowed the students to “make their own” weather. It showed them what they were changing, as far as temperature and humidity. Then there was an animated showing of what type of weather they had created based on their adjustments with a description of what was happening.
Some of the other websites showed actual footage of severe weather. Others, particularly weatherwizkids.com, provided explanations of all aspects of weather, including all of the “what’s, why’s and how’s” about whatever they were researching.
Although the read information could be found in books, it was the navigation process and the fact that the exact same information would not be found elsewhere that gives importance to the technological aspect. However, without the technology we integrated into this lesson, the students were provided diverse opportunities which they otherwise could not have had. This also helped interactive learners, as well as those who don’t learn as well by simply listening or reading to gain a better understanding of weather and climate.
The last bit of technology I would like to integrate would be the blog. This would connect the students to each other even when out of class.
Evaluation:
I am concerned that I should put more into this lesson. At first I had a lot more involved in the lesson, but realized that I was making a lesson, not an entire day’s plan. I would be able to continue on, or add to a lesson the next day, right? I think it would be fun and beneficial to their comprehension to have the students give a presentation about weather. They could work in groups, or individually to create a project and share it with the class perhaps.
However, I still worry that maybe they would not be getting enough out of this lesson? Granted, it is more of an introductory lesson, if that exists, and I think that it gave them a pretty solid foundation in regards to weather and climate.
Finally, I worry about the blog. I think it is a great way to integrate technology. Initially, I thought we could make our own weather journals, but then I remembered the blogs, and thought why not? Still, would this work? So long as we went over it in class and were already familiarized with it, and all the students had access to internet at home, I think it would be fine.